1 86 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



Twenty-three lectures — average at each lecture, lOO. 



The growing interest in birds on the part of the public, particularly in the 

 last twelve months, has resulted in constantly increasing demands on my time 

 and attention. In the spring of 1916, for instance, there must have been as 

 many as two or three dozen telephone and other inquiries concerning two 

 species of birds alone, cedar waxwing and scarlet tanager. 



Uncounted requests have been made for instruction as to proper methods 

 of feeding birds and attracting them in other ways. A number of institutions 

 and organizations have asked for talks on birds, and from the statistics given 

 below it may be gathered that many such lectures (all illustrated) have been 

 delivered. The following are details concerning some of the more unusual 

 and interesting of these lectures. 



An audience consisting of 120 Boy Scouts of America and their scoutmasters, 

 all from Staten Island troops, was addressed on the subject of attracting birds, 

 emphasis being laid on winter feeding and proper methods of constructing 

 bird houses. Another lecture was delivered at the Sea View Hospital to 75 

 juvenile consumptives; another before 600 members of the Bedtime Stories 

 Club and 60 mothers of members, at Public School 15, Tompkinsville; a fourth 

 was given in the assembly hall of Curtis High School before 500 students and 

 teachers; and a fifth at the Children's Museum, Brooklyn, N. Y., before 150 

 boys and girls. The last was an exchange lecture. 



In the past year 21 bird lectures have been delivered to more than 6,20a 

 persons. Of these talks 14 were given on Staten Island, before 2,500 auditors. 



The Staten Island Bird Club, which has its headquarters in the Museum, has 

 undertaken an aggressive campaign on behalf of the birds of Staten Island and 

 has succeeded in having the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp converted into a 

 bird sanctuary. The grounds around the Britton Cottage on New Dorp 

 Lane have also been equipped with nesting boxes and feeding devices. Almost 

 all of the labor involved in these undertakings has devolved upon me and one 

 or two voluntary assistants. 



Two bird instruction walks are contemplated, to take place later in the year, 

 one for boy scouts especially desirous of advancing themselves in bird study, 

 the other for adult members of the Bird Club. Under the auspices of the 

 club a bird house contest was conducted among the scouts of the island during 

 the present spring and the writer was called upon to judge these houses as 

 well as those constructed by pupils of Public School 29, West New Brighton. 

 He has also been designated by the Richmond Borough Council, Boy Scouts 

 of America, as special examiner in ornithology, the duties of this office being 

 to test scouts as to their knowledge of birds, their habits, etc., when the scouts 

 are striving for merit badges in ornithology. 



Many individual students from Curtis High School have requested special 

 information concerning plumage and markings of birds, in connection with 

 class work, and one assorted lot of bird skins has been loaned to a teacher of 

 biology at the Curtis High School Annex at Rosebank, for use in class studies. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Howard H. Cleaves, 



Curator. 



